LotR Stage – Hobbit Movie News and Rumors | TheOneRing.net™http://www.theonering.net/torwp
Forged by and for fans of J.R.R. TolkienMon, 19 Mar 2018 13:00:33 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.521870047Academy Award winning Producer Saul Zaentz dies at age 92http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/01/03/86032-academy-award-winning-producer-saul-zaentz-dies-at-age-92/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/01/03/86032-academy-award-winning-producer-saul-zaentz-dies-at-age-92/#respondSat, 04 Jan 2014 04:03:41 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=86032Film Producer Saul Zaentz has passed away at the age of 92. Many Tolkien fans will know him as the man who held the film rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings – but he was so much more: a true Hollywood legend, with countless film projects to his name. He won many Oscars, including Best Picture wins for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The English Patient, and my very favorite film of all time (perhaps with the exception of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) – Amadeus.

Yet I think we need not be sad at Mr. Zaentz’s passing. His was a full life, and he left us with many jewels to treasure. We shall miss him.

Producer Saul Zaentz, who won best picture Oscars for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Amadeus” and “The English Patient,” died Friday in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was 92 and had been suffering from Alzheimer’s.

The same year that he walked off with his third producing Oscar, for “The English Patient,” bringing him into the rarefied company of other triple winners Darryl F. Zanuck and Sam Spiegel, he was awarded the Irving Thalberg Award for his efforts as a producer. He was the first producer since Cecil B. DeMille (1952) to win the Oscar and be awarded the Thalberg in the same year.

In 1997 he allowed Miramax to option the “Lord of the Rings” property, to which he had obtained the rights in 1976, after it became a counterculture hit. Miramax could not financially commit to making more than one film, so director Peter Jackson took the project to New Line. The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy grossed more than $2.9 billion theatrically worldwide and became one of the most successful film franchises of all time, but Zaentz twice sued New Line over profit accounting, eventually settling with the studio. He also served as producer for legit theater versions of “Lord of the Rings.”

He is survived by a four children, Dorian, Joshua, Athena, and Jonnie; seven grandchildren, and his nephew, Paul Zaentz, a producer.

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/01/03/86032-academy-award-winning-producer-saul-zaentz-dies-at-age-92/feed/086032Special Guest stars from “FELLOWSHIP! The Musical” on TORn TUESDAYS Live Webcast Today 5pm PDT!http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/05/08/56025-special-guest-stars-from-fellowship-the-musical-on-torn-tuesdays-live-webcast-today-5pm-pdt/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/05/08/56025-special-guest-stars-from-fellowship-the-musical-on-torn-tuesdays-live-webcast-today-5pm-pdt/#respondTue, 08 May 2012 22:41:27 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=56025The stars are aligned for today’s *live* webcast TORn TUESDAY, where viewers can be part of the show and ask questions directly to our celebrity guests! Today we are joined by the creative team behind the wildly popular “FELLOWSHIP! The Musical” — an award winning stage production that rips on the first book of Tolkien’s trilogy! I’ve seen it a few times and it’s hysterically good (check out TORn’s previous podcast interview here). Our special guests today include Comedy Central’s RENO 911! star CEDRIC YARBROUGH (who plays Gandalf) and composer ALLEN SIMPSON! There will be mischief aplenty as we also turn our attention to WETA Costume Contest winner NICOLE ROBERTS, who recently completed her trip to New Zealand and has great stories and surprise photos to share. Tune into our show TORn TUESDAY, hosted by Clifford Broadway (Quickbeam), by clicking to our Live Event page. As always, you can participate starting at 5:00pm PDT — There’s a built-in Barliman’s chat room or come in via Skype in TheOneRing.net’s Stickam page. Check out our LIVE Event section right here every week! [LIVE Event Area] (See All Times)
]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/05/08/56025-special-guest-stars-from-fellowship-the-musical-on-torn-tuesdays-live-webcast-today-5pm-pdt/feed/056025Join us at the TORn TTT Virtual Concert!http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/10/06/38991-join-us-at-the-torn-ttt-virtual-concert/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/10/06/38991-join-us-at-the-torn-ttt-virtual-concert/#commentsThu, 07 Oct 2010 03:53:32 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=38991Can’t make it to New York City for the TTT Radio City Music Hall event? We invite you to stop by the TORn message boards where we’ll be hosting a virtual concert, giving you another way to celebrate and enjoy the great music from the LOTR films.The Virtual Concert will be conducted in four “Movements” — two on Friday, and two on Saturday. Each Movement will be in the form of a discussion thread covering several tracks from the TTT Original Soundtrack disk. So, break out your TTT Soundtrack disk and stop by to post a comment on your favorite tracks. We encourage our NYC-bound friends to drop in and share some thoughts on the Live Concert, too! The Virtual Concert will begin at noon EST Friday on our “‘Main” message board and will be available to participate in all weekend.
]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/10/06/38991-join-us-at-the-torn-ttt-virtual-concert/feed/138991LOTR: The Two Towers Live at Radio City Music Hall – Tickets On Sale Now!http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/07/28/37688-lotr-the-two-towers-live-at-radio-city-music-hall-tickets-on-sale-now/
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/07/28/37688-lotr-the-two-towers-live-at-radio-city-music-hall-tickets-on-sale-now/#respondWed, 28 Jul 2010 21:31:21 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=37688

Tickets are now on sale for the highly anticipated The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which will be presented live to film at Radio City Music Hall for two performances only, on Friday, October 8th and Saturday, October 9th, 2010. Following the success of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’s concert last October, the Academy Award®-nominated film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers gets the same treatment at the world-famous Radio City Music Hall. Beneath an immense 60-foot screen, Howard Shore’s Grammy®-winning complete original score will be performed live to Peter Jackson’s award-winning epic. Click here for high resolution images.

The music of Middle-earth will be brought to life by more than 300 musicians: Switzerland’s 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, The Grammy Award®-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and renowned soprano Kaitlyn Lusk, all under the direction of celebrated Maestro Ludwig Wicki.

Last fall, over 10,000 people filled Radio City for The Fellowship of the Ring shows. The New York Times said “the music of Middle-earth soared at Radio City Music Hall,” while Entertainment Weekly said “it was a terrific night at the theater.”

Released on December 18, 2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is the second installment in Peter Jackson’s fantasy adventure film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Set in Middle-earth, the story picks up with Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) search for the orc-captured Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). All along, nefarious wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard. Highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike, the film earned over $925 million worldwide, making it one of the highest grossing films of the year in the U.S. and worldwide. The film remains one of the top-10 highest-grossing worldwide films of all time. It won two Academy Awards®, a Grammy® Award and three BAFTAs, and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars®, Golden Globes®, and BAFTA Awards.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Howard Shore (Composer) is among today’s most respected, honored, and active composers and music conductors. His work with Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings trilogy stands as his most towering achievement to date, earning him three Academy Awards®. He has also been awarded four Grammys® and three Golden Globes. Shore was one of the original creators of Saturday Night Live where he served as the music director from 1975 to 1980. At the same time, he began collaborating with David Cronenberg, and has scored 12 of the director’s films, including The Fly, Dead Ringers, Crash, Naked Lunch and Eastern Promises for which he was honored with a Genie Award. Shore continues to distinguish himself with a wide range of projects, from Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, The Aviator, and Gangs of New York, to Ed Wood, The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, and Mrs. Doubtfire. Shore’s music has been performed in concerts throughout the world. In 2003, Shore conducted the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings Symphony in Wellington, New Zealand. Since then, the work has had over 140 performances by the world’s most prestigious orchestras. In 2008, Howard Shore’s opera of The Fly premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and at The Los Angeles Opera. Other recent works include Fanfare for the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia and a piano concerto in 2010 for Lang Lang. He is currently working on his second opera and looks forward to a return to Middle-earth with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Shore received the Career Achievement for Music Composition Award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures and New York Chapter’s Recording Academy Honors, ASCAP’s Henry Mancini Award and the Frederick Loewe Award. He holds honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and York University and he is an Officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters.

Ludwig Wicki (Conductor) began his career as a member of the Lucerne Symphony and Opera Orchestra and founder of the San Marco Brass and the Philharmonic Brass Quintet. After studying choral conducting with the music director of the world-renowned Dresdner Kreuzchores in Germany, Wicki became a permanent member of the Schola Romanum Luzernsis under the direction of Pater Roman Bannwart. Wicki then went on to become the music director at the Palace Chapel of Lucerne where he led the choir in Georgian chants and performances of Bach, Handel, Monteverdi and Palestrina, as well as the orchestra in works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and more. He inaugurated a Renaissance ensemble, Il Dolcimelo, and created the concert series Treffpunkt Haydn. In 1999, he founded the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, which has collaborated with internationally-renowned composers including Howard Shore, Randy Newman and Martin Böttcher. In 2007, the city of Lucerne presented Maestro Wicki with a Special Achievement Award for his contribution to the city’s cultural life.
Film music is the credo and passion of the Lucerne-based 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, led by Artistic Director Ludwig Wicki. The group has garnered wide acclaim for projects such as James Bond in Concert, Italian Film Music: An Hommage to Ennio Morricone and Maurice Jarre and An Evening with Randy Newman. In 2007, the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra entered into a partnership with Academy Award®-winner Howard Shore and has performed his complete score for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. live to the epic motion picture. The project continues with the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King in 2010.

The Grammy® Award-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, now in its 17th season, is one of the country’s leading children’s choruses. Led by founder and artistic director Dianne Berkun, BYC choristers study and perform a range of music in classical and non-classical genres. The Chorus has toured Austria, Russia, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany; performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden and the White House; sung with major artists such as Elton John, Barbara Cook, Lou Reed, John Legend, Natasha Bedingfield, Fantasia Barrino, Ray Davies, Judy Collins, Andrea Bocelli, and Mark Morris Dance Group.
Kaitlyn Lusk made her major orchestral singing debut with the Baltimore Symphony in 2003 at the age of 14 and has since been sought after for solo appearances with many of the nation’s leading orchestras. Since the fall of 2004, Kaitlyn has been the featured vocal soloist in Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony. She has performed this role with over 25 orchestras in the United States and Canada from the Philadelphia Orchestra to the San Francisco Symphony, and from the Houston Symphony to the Minnesota Orchestra. She has performed with conductors including Keith Lockhart, Alexander Mickelthwate, Allaistar Willis, Stuart Malina, Nicolas Palmer, Markus Huber. In January 2007, Kaitlyn made her European debut with Maestro John Mauceri and the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig. In the summer of 2007, as part of an encore performance of The Lord of the Rings Symphony with the Cleveland Orchestra, she once again performed with Howard Shore, who in 2005 invited Kaitlyn to perform the Academy Award®-winning song as part of the Grammy® Honors of Howard Shore in New York City. In addition to her live performances, Kaitlyn’s first studio album, No Looking Back, features some of the top musicians and songwriters in the industry today and was produced by the award-winning composer and arranger, Kim Scharnberg.

This event is presented by CAMI Music and New York Comic Con in association with TheOneRing.Net. Swiss International Air Lines is the official sponsor.

]]>http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/07/28/37688-lotr-the-two-towers-live-at-radio-city-music-hall-tickets-on-sale-now/feed/037688One Man LOTR hits the Edinburgh Fringehttp://www.theonering.net/torwp/2009/08/03/32995-one-man-lotr-hits-the-edinburgh-fringe/
Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:51:26 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/?p=32995TORn friend Charles Ross continues to gradually conquer the world with his One Man Lord of the Rings show. He is set to perform at the must see Edinburgh Fringe August 6 -16. TheOneRing.net is seeking a a fan who can attend the event to give us a spy report. We also want to hear from anybody planning to attend in a LOTR costume. Ross performed at our ORC event several years ago and was magnificent, hilarious and surprisingly touching. Read all the details inside.

If you are planning to costume or think you can send in a spy report, please e-mail SpyMaster@TheOneRing.net with “Edinburgh Fringe” in the subject line.

Valerie wrote in about the event:
ONE MAN LORD OF THE RINGS

EDINBURGH FRINGE – E4 UDDERBELLY, 6-16TH AUGUST

100,000 characters. Nine companions. Three masterworks. One Man to do it all.

Canadian actor Charles Ross first made an impact on the Edinburgh Fringe when his debut show, One Man Star Wars Trilogy, was a surprise sell-out hit of the 2006 event. Now he returns with his equally hilarious follow-up – One Man Lord Of The Rings – in which he recreates the enchanting world of Middle-earth, armed with nothing more than a pair of elbow pads and his outrageous imagination, at the E4 Udderbelly, Bristo Square, from 6-16th August 2009.

No props or costumes are required as Ross hurtles through the Tolkien trilogy – The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King – in just 3,600 seconds of unbelievable kinetic entertainment.

Since his first Edinburgh Fringe appearance, Charles Ross has toured the world, performing his Star Wars show over 1,200 times in more than 180 cities across four continents – and his One Man Lord Of The Rings looks set to follow suit.

Directed by TJ Dawe and with lighting design by Mike Schaldmose, One Man Lord Of The Rings was selected as ‘Patron’s Choice’ for Best Play at the Toronto Fringe Festival and ‘#1 Best Of Fringe’ at this year’s Saskatoon Fringe Festival. It’s even been given a wizard’s seal of approval by Gandalf himself, after Sir Ian McKellen caught a performance in Canada!

So if you’ve seen the films, read the books and named your first-born Frodo, don’t miss Ross’ zany take on the ever-popular epic saga.

www.onemanlotr.com

‘If you liked The Lord of the Rings trilogy, you’ll love Charlie Ross’ version – and if you didn’t, well, at least his is shorter’ – Sir Ian McKellen

]]>32995LOTR Musical Ends London Runhttp://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/03/14/28512-lotr-musical-ends-london-run/
Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:04:49 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/03/14/28512-lotr-musical-ends-london-run/The Musical Spectacular “THE LORD OF THE RINGS” will complete its run at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London on 19 July, 2008 after 492 performances. The show has already played to an audience of over 446,000 in London since previews began on 9 May 2007. Due to the popularity of the London Production among international visitors, discussions are under way for the production to re-open in Germany in November 2009 with a German-speaking cast. “THE LORD OF THE RINGS” creative team is also developing a touring version to launch in New Zealand in 2009 before being presented in cities across Australia and the Far East. This new production will bring the show’s ground-breaking musical score and J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved story to a global audience. Producer Kevin Wallace said today, “The show’s creative team has proven just how enchanting, exhilarating and powerfully entertaining The Lord of the Rings can be live on stage. We will continue to bring this incredible theatrical event to audiences in London until 19 July, and we look forward to presenting the show to new audiences abroad from 2009.”

“THE LORD OF THE RINGS” has earned high praise from fans of Tolkien’s wonderful books and the general theatre-going public alike,” said Laurie Battle of the Saul Zaentz Company. “The enchanted environment at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to step into the fantastic world of Middle-earth. The telling of this epic story on stage is a brilliant example of how magical the live theatrical experience can be. With a stunning score, powerful performances and perhaps the most beautiful and spectacular design the West End has ever seen, this show is not to be missed.”

The producers today thanked the public for making “THE LORD OF THE RINGS” one of the three top-selling shows during the Society of London Theatre’s 2007 Kids Week and Get Into London Theatre campaigns, as well as those ticket agents who have supported the show, taking “THE LORD OF THE RINGS” to top-selling positions in their monthly West End sales charts.

A Kevin Wallace Limited Production, “THE LORD OF THE RINGS” is presented by Kevin Wallace and Saul Zaentz.

Tickets for “THE LORD OF THE RINGS”, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane are available in person from the theatre box office; by phone on 0844 412 4660, online at www.lotr.com and from all reputable theatre ticket agents. Ticket prices start at £15.00.

“The Production is Astounding… Astonishing special effects” London Lite

“Without doubt the most spectacular show in the West End” lastminute.com

“Astonishing” The Sunday Times

Astonishing… Ingenious…Not to be missed! The Hollywood Reporter

]]>28512Top Tolkien Stories of 2007http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/31/28205-top-tolkien-stories-of-2007/
Mon, 31 Dec 2007 21:13:48 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/12/31/28205-top-tolkien-stories-of-2007/2007 has been quite an exciting year for Tolkien fans! There’s been an abundance of news and events from across the globe including openings of musicals, new book releases and new movies in the pipeline: something to satisfy just about any geeky preference! As a thank-you for following all the developments of the year with us, we thought we’d put together a retrospective of the top Tolkien stories of 2007 in one convenient list. The list below is in chronological order.

Here’s to a 2008 that’s just as exciting! Stay tuned!

1) The Children of Hurin – published April 17

To the delight of Tolkien fans everywhere, The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien became the first book of Tolkien’s works published in 30 years. The Children of Hurin tells the story of one of Tolkien’s most tragic heroes: Turin Turambar. The story was compiled by Christopher from various sources written by his father over the course of decades. To the added delight of fans, the book includes new works of art by Alan Lee, the book’s illustrator. The book debuted at the top of the New York Times bestseller list and remains on the list today at #24.

After playing for a time in Toronto, the new and improved The Lord of the Rings musical moved across the pond and re-opened at the Theater Royal Drury Lane. The Lord of the Rings captures the magic of Tolkien’s Middle-earth using lighting effects, beautifully designed costumes and sets and elaborately choreographed battles. The production is currently set to run through September of 2008. So, if you’ve always wanted to see Hobbits actually do the ‘springle-ring,’ a trip to London may be in your future.

3) 70th Anniversary Edition of The Hobbit – published September 21, 2007

The publication of The Hobbit: 70th Anniversary Edition gave fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and Bilbo Baggins plenty of reason to celebrate this year. Complete with a new introduction by Christopher Tolkien, this edition also features a reproduction of the original watercolor painting done by Tolkien himself for the cover, as well as and Tolkien’s own illustrations and drawings throughout. For those of us who already own several editions of The Hobbit, the cover and illustrations alone make this a worthwhile addition to our collections.

John D. Rateliff’s two volume work is the culmination of years of research including the study of various Tolkien manuscripts at Marquette University. It features the complete unpublished draft of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original version of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, as well as text notes and essays by the author, illustrations and maps. Part I, Mr. Baggins, covers the story up to Bilbo’s arrival in Laketown and the story continues in Part II, Return to Bag End. Another ‘must have’ for lovers of Tolkien and his stories, both volumes of The History of the Hobbit are also available as a boxed set along with The Hobbit: 70th Anniversary Edition.

5) “The Lord of the Rings, The Return of The King (The Complete Recordings)”- released November 20.

If you still had any spending money left by the end of the year, “The Lord of the Rings, The Return of The King (The Complete Recordings)” was another irresistible buy. Together with the complete recordings from the first two movies, this 5 disc set provides hours and hours of geeky enjoyment for lovers of The Lord of The Rings movies and Howard Shore’s stunning soundtrack. Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the release has been getting rave reviews by our readers. Although there were some problems with initial shipments, we have it on good advice from our readers that the problems have been fixed and the recordings are again in stock and available at Amazon.com (but is still unavailable at amazon.co.uk). Thanks to everyone for your input on this!

6) Tolkien Fans get a chance to buy into Ent statue to be erected in the U.K. – from October 1, 2007

You may never have the chance to drink ent-draught from the pools of Treebeard’s Wellinghall, but thanks to The Moseley Statue Group and sculptor Tim Tolkien (great nephew of J.R.R. Tolkien) you can now be part of an Entish tribute to Tolkien being planned in Moseley Village, U.K.. From The group’s website: “The giant statue will be fabricated in recycled stainless steel with bronze and copper coatings. The individually wrought leaves will be embedded into a paving of resin bonded, crushed green glass at the base of the Ent. Tim will engrave each unique leaf with wording of the sponsor’s choosing.” Leaves are now up for bid on Ebay. If you can’t afford one of your own, you may be interested in joining with some of our message board members to purchase a leaf on behalf of readers and members of TORn.

7) Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema join with MGM to produce “The Hobbit” movie. – December 18.

What better way to end the year for fans of Tolkien’s books and the Lord of the Rings movies alike than with the extraordinary news that The Hobbit movie is going to happen!! Who will direct? Who will be cast as Gandalf, Thorin and, of course, as Bilbo? And just what will that second movie include? 2008 will be filled with speculation, spy reports and exciting new developments surrounding these and many other topics, so stay tuned to TORn for all the latest.

]]>28205Jet Airways pays 15 million rupees for The Lord of the Ringshttp://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/11/15/28048-jet-airways-pays-15-million-rupees-for-the-lord-of-the-rings/
Fri, 16 Nov 2007 03:12:34 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/11/15/28048-jet-airways-pays-15-million-rupees-for-the-lord-of-the-rings/(PRWEB) November 15, 2007 — India’s premier airline Jet Airways have announced their sponsorship worth 15 million rupees for the London original cast album of the Lord of the Rings that is currently being recorded. The stage version of Lord of the Rings, which is now booking three months in advance, opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in June 2007, and has proved to be a huge hit with reviewers and audiences alike. The first major stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic, the Lord of the Rings (http://www.lotr.com/), has now been seen by over 300,000 people in London.

The newspaper reviews have said, “This show is a wonder. Go with an open heart, wide-open eyes, and prepare for enchantment” (The Times); “You’ve never seen spectacle like it” (The Sun); “Theatrical magic – astonishing” (Sunday Times); “A hugely impressive production” (The Guardian). Audiences have proved to be equally spellbound by the production.

As India’s premier airline, Jet Airways found a synergy between themselves and the high quality production of the Lord of the Rings, which takes theatregoers on a musical, mysterious and adventurous journey.

]]>28048More LOTR Stage Reviews from the British Presshttp://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/07/03/274-more-lotr-stage-reviews-from-the-british-press/
Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:15:43 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/07/03/more-lotr-stage-reviews-from-the-british-press/Anonymous writes: Here are some reviews from the British press which I don’t think you have yet, First off from the New Statesman, some of the Sunday papers put their reviews on the web, other didn’t. This is from the Independent and the Guardian, and finally here is a roundup from The Times.
]]>274Lord of the Rings London Musical Reviewhttp://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/07/01/23975-lord-of-the-rings-london-musical-review-2/
Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:31:26 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/07/01/lord-of-the-rings-london-musical-review-2/A fan’s review of the London Lord of the Rings musical

You can’t squeeze a book the size of the Lord of the Rings into a 3 hour musical and satisfy either the hard core fans or those new to the story. But, I think they did a great job regardless. The pace is breath taking, but the core of the story comes through. The music suited the mood well enough and the staging and the solutions to bring much loved characters to life worked brilliantly. The hobbits came on stage while the audience was still coming in, and performed a little skit about catching fireflies, which was very endearing, and morphed into a song which without further fuss opened the musical.

Spoilers ahead!

The toughest characters to portray well were fantastic. Gollum was a writhing, menacing, wretched little creature. The dark riders were a marvel, scary and imposing. They were created by an actor on stilts, with the body and head of the horse supported by a pole that the actor manipulated, which was at square angles to the stilts. The ents you can’t really do on stage, but the solution to put the actors on stilts resulted in dignified beings with booming voices. Shelob was truly terrifying and the audience’s reaction was a pleasure to behold. The effect was created by several actors in dark outfits who worked the legs and the body – in much the same was as the Treebeard puppet was made to move in Peter Jackson’s movie. With the dark stage, all you initially saw were the long legs, advancing on poor Frodo.

Which brings me to the parts that didn’t work so well. With little time to develop character or portray favorite scenes from the book, many characters were pale shadows of themselves, or wholly missing. For me the main disappointments were Aragorn and Gimli. Aragorn was too theatrical, with too little heart. However, his scene with dying Boromir was very moving, and the scene in front of the gates of Mordor where he gives a passionate speech to his fellow men in arms was thrilling. Gimli was cast based on his short stature and the actor’s voice had too high a pitch – but John Rhys Davis is a tough act to follow. Gandalf, Sam, the other hobbits and Galadriel all moved me well enough.

For a musical there wasn’t actually that much music, beyond the music that set the mood in the background – no doubt the result of cutting 40 minutes of the length. Even then, I slightly resented the moments when characters burst out into song, unless it was appropriate to the story (e.g. singing at the Prancing Pony). Musicals aren’t really my thing, though, so others may feel wholly different on this. Also, the three different types of music didn’t always interact harmoniously. Varttina’s music was mostly used for ominous parts and the evil characters. The hobbit-y music and elvish music were very different from each other and from Varttina’s, which in itself was fine, but the transition from one to the other was sometimes jarring.

So what was in and what was out? Highlight to read on!

Tom Bombadil was out, which is no surprise. Rohan and the characters of the Golden Hall, along with the battle of Helm’s Deep and the love story between Eowyn and Faramir were completely cut. However, Boromir looked more like Eomer, complete with long, blond hair, and Denethor’s failing health and subsequent resurrection by Gandalf reflected more Theoden than the Denethor of the books. Wormtongue and Theodred weren’t included either. Pippin and Merry’s journeys are very much pruned: Pippin doesn’t look into the Palantir (in fact Palantirs are not even mentioned), neither pledges alliegence their chosen kings, and their role in the destruction of Orthanc is hardly mentioned. Scouring of the Shire was gone, although the Shire had been badly spoiled by Saruman’s passing by and Sam got to use his gift from Galadriel. And, Saruman lives! There’s a confrontation between Gandalf and Saruman earlier, after which Saruman is allowed to leave. Later, on the hobbit’s return to the Shire, there are two lines about Saruman having passed that way and being of no further harm to anyone.

Passing mention is made of the evolution of Gimli and Legolas’s relationship from antagonism to friendship. Faramir is a minor side character (blink and you’ll miss him), which means that the meeting of Frodo, Sam and Faramir never takes place. Celeborn I either missed completely or wasn’t there. Also, Gimli’s love of Galadriel gets a short nod. Frodo is stabbed in the Prancing Pony, not Weathertop.

We do have the long awaited party, Gandalf and Saruman scene in Orthanc where Saruman’s treachery is revealed, and a few times where Bilbo and Frodo disappear when they put on the ring (the first time, when Bilbo uses the ring at his party was so well done, that I don’t know to this day how they did it!). Moria and Balrog’s battle with Gandalf were well done, except that the face of the Balrog creature looks silly.

Arwen and Aragorn’s story is fairly well developed, which is why the fact that Arwen wasn’t part of Aragorn’s coronation was so shocking. They do share a moment and a kiss earlier on, and also during the end when the actors come to bow to the audience.

All in all, I was delighted with the musical, cuts and all. If you do have a chance to see it, I can highly recommend it!

]]>23975LOTR Musical in Germany?http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/07/01/279-lotr-musical-in-germany/
Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:21:28 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/07/01/lotr-musical-in-germany/Boris writes: I just wanted to tell you that there is a new Tolkien Musical being done in Hamburg. It is called a “world premiere” apparently scheduled for February 2008 in a big theatre (3000 seats), with a big symphony orchestra (90 piece), three choirs and over 100 actors. And the photos look nice! The website is here. Unfortunately there is no english version yet!
]]>279Behold ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Musical: The Musical!’http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/06/23/23977-behold-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-musical-the-musical-2/
Sat, 23 Jun 2007 15:59:28 +0000http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2007/06/23/behold-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-musical-the-musical-2/Ben writes: I noticed that you guys were reporting on the opening of LOTR in London, and I thought I’d get in touch with you about a related project of mine: “The Lord of the Rings: The Musical: The Musical!” For about 8 months now my writing partner and I have been working on this, and on July 4th the show is going to premiere at the Toronto Fringe Festival. The show tells the story of the LOTR musical’s run in Toronto: the massive hype leading up to opening night and the show’s very sudden failure. The main character is a naive, LOTR-loving writer who is trying to make his dream of an LOTR-musical come true, but he runs into trouble when he falls in love with the wife of the evil British producer. Our show is going to have seven performances for the duration of the festival, and we’re hoping to organize another run later in the Summer.

I’m trying to get the word out to as many LOTR/theatre fans as possible and I was wondering if you guys knew of any Toronto-based LOTR organizations/communities that might be interested, or if you had any ideas for sending the message out to Toronto’s LOTR fans. I also understand that your staff is located all around the continent, so if any of you happen to be in Toronto in July we would of course love to have you come to the show.